solar, what it powers?

[mrmjbenn]

my rockwood is suppose to be solar ready, am I correct to assume that the solar power will only run the 12v things in the rv?

[glen1971]

Is it only prewired for a solar set-up or do you have the panels already installed?

Without an invertor you'll only be keeping your battery(s) topped up and running your 12 volt system...

[mrmjbenn]

Thanks, thats what i figured, I only know it says its solar ready and I don;t know where a panel would be. what does it cost to get the equipment to go solar if there is no panel or inverterr already
?

[glen1971]

Originally Posted by mrmjbenn

Thanks, thats what i figured, I only know it says its solar ready and I don;t know where a panel would be. what does it cost to get the equipment to go solar if there is no panel or inverterr already
?

Take a quick look on the roof... If there is no panels up there, then you are solar ready, and should have the wiring close, and a solar voltage reguator.. Unfortunately, I;m not familiar with where the wiring might be left, but I'm guessing in a vent for the fridge or a box(?)...

[Batts-toy]

This is the approach you need to take, The solar output needs to run through a solar/battery charge controller and into the coach batteries. The 12 volt powered items in your TT will come from your batteries as they do now and depending on how much sunlight is available and how much draw your TT is using the charge in the batteries could be going up or down throughout the day. You need to look at how much you plan to run 12 volt items in the TT and determine how much solar you need to have your batteries fully charged at the end of the day (some people have solar and still use a generator to have the batteries ready for night time use). Another thing to consider is what your coach batteries are capable of, this requires knowing their amp hour rating or AH. Batteries commonly installed in TT's are not true deep cell batteries and 2 12 volt dual purpose will have around 100 AH's. I had a Wildwood T26TBSS with 288 watt solar system and 4 6 volt golf cart batteries giving me a total of 464 AH, I also carried 2 Champion 200i generators but only needed them on cloudy days. We ran a television, sat receiver, lights off 12 volt for several hours every night with no problem (the television equipment was 110v but I used an inverter to get that off the batteries). Professional install should be considered unless you are handy that way and if self install plan on studying up on it before purchases are made solar panels and charge controller must match and be compatable.

[TGR]

My Wildcat 5th wheel came pre-wired for solar. That means there is a connector on the outside that runs directly to the battery. You can purchase a solar array that you place on the ground and plug it into the solar-ready connector to charge your batteries.


There are stand-alone solar panels that sit on the ground and plug into the solar plug and you can buy several panels for a higher charge rate.

[Anders]

It is all depending on how many solar panels you have, battery storage and the size of your inverter. With the righ set up you should be able to run most electrical applaineces. Go Power has a great website that explains some of this. Inclucing this

video

[SkipBest]

I think TGR is on the money. My question is do we have to use the brand on the lable or will any solar system work? My thought is that this "pre wiring" is just a plug the runs over to the batteries. I'll bet that TGR is correct and in that case any complete set up could run to the batteries through this plug. .???

[Roving Ron]

You can use any panels as long as they have a charge controller. The fitting on the camper goes directly to the battery and hooking panels directly to the batteries will result in damage to the batteries. You can purchase a third party controller and install in the camper and purchase panels which can be less expensive than buying the combined package




Grey Nomads, Ron and Sue

[contractor Rob]

Your pre-wired rig, doesn't mean a thing and chances are it has the wrong size of wire too. The best advise I can give you is to read Handy bobs blog, just look it up and make sure you read it...it'll answer all your questions